


First Encounters

by Feather_Dancer



Series: 900 years of wandering [1]
Category: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Historical language, Hold overs from Camelot, Long road to friendship, We all start somewhere, zouxie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:01:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27660379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feather_Dancer/pseuds/Feather_Dancer
Summary: Even Douxie and Zoe's friendship had to start somewhere and for them it was a single chance encounter. In a moment of quiet, Zoe reminisces on old times.
Relationships: Hisirdoux "Douxie" Casperan/Zoe
Series: 900 years of wandering [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1983584
Comments: 15
Kudos: 13





	First Encounters

**Author's Note:**

> This is drabble with legs #2 that would have been posted yesterday but because of hardware failure I had to delay it. Apologises!
> 
> Teny if you ever happen to read this: ;)

Glancing up to the wizard who she's currently propped up against to read it's almost funny thinking about how they had first met if you compared it to how they are centuries on from then with a face that has remained exactly the same throughout history much like her own had, changing only through hairstyles or piercings being added, removed or shifted about yet there is no mistaking how much more **age** carried in those eyes nowadays the rare times it slips through before a smile is thrown on to hide it ever happening. That rarer side of him is quite the contrast to the way he's currently pouring over the iPad screen she'd leant him while his laptop was down for the count _again_ after he'd mentioned wanting to hawk for a few spare supplies for his favourite guitar. Despite the occasional muttering about outrageous pricing and cheap knock off brands he’s being incredibly mindful of jostling the arm she claimed too much and disturbing her or getting too loud, as always.

A far _younge_ r version of her would have cursed her out soundly for even thinking that she'd be willing talking to him all this time later particularly for all the chaos he had a habit of bringing along if not causing and be aghast that she caught the adrenaline bug too. Not to mention the very notion of willingly being in his apartment late at night with nary another soul in sight? Utterly unthinkable. Yet the idea of _not_ being able to enjoy the gentle calmness she is currently sharing with a pair of idiots who had wanted to enjoy some evening downtime feels like the most foreign thing in the world.

Back in the _real_ old days she'll admit to overhearing the odd rumour amongst all the regular gossip that spoke of a polite kid with a black cat lurking about on the streets of Camelot, _one who could disappear on the wind!_ They'd say though personally she thought little of it because that coulda been said about so many of the waifs and strays eking out a living. When these suddenly stopped it simply was put down to their luck having finally run out and they got caught up in the increasing clamp down or, if thought of more hopefully, had the sense at least to run when the knights began patrolling in the name of the hunt for magical spies on Arthur's behest. It makes the irony how she was the one who was caught while trying to escape the kingdom after a (Technically not false) accusation while he had been spared in secret for years before by the Court Wizard taking a shine taste quite bitter. T’was another reason to hate that man and his willingness to do _n o t h I n g_.

A stranger snuck their way into the prisons during the dead of night releasing them all with a warning that a far worse purge was to come where no one would be spared and so she fled and never once looked back for survival was more far important than any love she could have ever possessed for the place before it was tainted by a mad man's hysteria. Zoe couldn't find it in her to mourn when many weeks later runners brought word of how Camelot had since fallen, an entire dynasty now laying destroyed and how Merlin simply disappeared in the aftermath because it felt like the final ties had been severed giving way for the freedom to make an entirely new life for herself. Though given half a chance she'd have spat on all their graves for leaving those like her who had dared be true to their very natures to burn or rot away both in the name of the survivors and the many more who didn't make it.

For the many years that followed the status quo of the world struggled to settle with this newfound distrust of magic sprawling across Europe caused by the whisper of tales who said it was _them_ and their lot which had brought such a vibrant era to it's knees, of how if left unchecked it would continue to spread the pox of suffering far and beyond. Hiding became second nature while knowing that it was best to keep an ear to the ground because there would be others in the same boat looking for any refuge amongst all the uncertainty. Secrets signals and codes were devised to help spot others but despite all efforts the languages they had forged were forced to evolve as fast as the outsiders bent on carrying the former King's will were decoding leading to ever more being driven to the fringes or across the seas. Rumours told of how many trolls had done in their desperation for refuge. Tales though? Now from those you could tell much about a stranger if you listened closely enough to what words were used and learned how to see the patterns that might be left in plain sight under the noses of harmless gossip.

That was how she had unknowingly learned about Douxie, while technically not the first time it felt as much, though these sightings were always pretty erratic even when the news was still at it’s freshest. Slowly but sure they conjured the picture of a traveller type for certain from how they never seemed to happen in the same place twice, the frequent talk of a cat that seemed a permanent fixture and an accent that people were struggling to place - All of these were hallmarks of a magic user of _some_ kind and she was curious enough to attempt to track him down and see what to make of him. Thus she attempted to do so between trying to establish connections that may one day form a Coven and play the part of all the innocent guises she had to take to pass when not forced to move ever onwards to elude suspicions of those whose kindness was arbitrary.

All in all it turned into a bit of a fool's errand infuriatingly quickly.

Over and over she would find that she had just missed him which varied erratically from days to even years. People who remembered him would talked about how some form of strangeness going on in their village or town that was soon resolved after he came by, a friendly nature who helped out while expecting little in return and of a black cat that stayed close by his heels. Oh, they would claim, truly one of the most well trained little beasts they'd ever seen! Men would chitter that this boy was trying to steal away their wives under their breath sometimes but their worries always lessened when he would charm them into forgiving his presumed trespass with a silver tongue. In his favour too was that he rarely tended to be anywhere longer than a few days to a week unless the weather made leaving too difficult even during the deepest depths of winter. It was actually during one of her own longer stops following the lead of an alchemist posing as a doctor that she managed to catch the briefest glimpse of who she suspected might be him only to be dashed by a horse and cart filled to the brim blocked her line of sight just long enough to allow him to slip back into obscurity. It was starting to feel like they would transition into a new century with her still none the wiser who this person really _was_ and that was enough to tag him highly on the annoyance list.

Imagine her surprise when mere months after that encounter within the rich heart of Regnum Valentiae (Now part of Spain funnily enough) that after struggling through a rather defiant door of the nearest innkeep to escape from the pouring rain whilst looking little better than a bedraggled rat would be the very same person spied for but a moment happens to be seated at a small table reading a book. It looked as though his own belongings were drying by the open fire under a long woollen coat but, and even more infuriatingly, he remained oblivious to her plight barely bothering to look up at the sudden commotion caused by her entrance.

The sudden appearance of a hearty older man who _had_ to have been a bear in a previous life startles enough that the sodden cloak is pulled around her face more tightly. Seemingly unconcerned by her worry he greets warmly instead with a loud boom of a voice contrasting eyes that have likely seen as much war as drunkards tying in with the numerous scars left embedded across his flesh from face to arms. _Certainly_ this was not someone you made a bad word of yourself if you wanted to stay inside.

"Another straggler from the turn? Come forth come forth, I offer no judgement and only ask for peace," he says clapping hands together before gesturing towards the most obvious source of warmth as if it could be somehow missed.

"Please hang thy cloak there warm thy hands, I will get you something to abate the chill of a stomach as much as bones if ye bid me the time to do so."

With nary a word allowed in edgeways he has already wandered off to the kitchens (?) leaving her to drip uselessly all over the floor and subsequently be ignored by the other bored inhabitants now the initial excitement of something new had passed. This was not a particularly kind era and she knew well to be very careful about what she says or does, attention is a dangerous thing for any lady to attract and even worse for her if forced to defend herself.

Letting out an annoyed huff seeing that nobody has the decency of bothering to lend a hand despite she would dutifully refuse anyway (It's the _principle_ of it all), Zoe shrugs her way out of the most sodden garment whilst walking with purpose and a scowl resting on her lips eager to start feeling human again before the chill has chance to settle. Then it is the outer skirts are patted down first for while the worst was kept away the terrible fabric is an utter menace when damp gets in for rotting though thankfully the droplets fall away like the lightest of April showers. The article of clothing to be disposed of next is the rather crudely hand-knit shawl that was there purely to give a respite from the roughness of the hood and more heat for her shoulders, or least it had done until it too began to soak. It is when she is left only to wring out the last of auburn hair that is getting far too much to handle when outside of a braid that the most mysterious stranger of all present finally discovers his voice. It is one deliberately kept low to prevent any potential eavesdroppers hearing of anything potentially scandalous.

"Do forgive me for not being able to help all that much with your things I must confess that I am trapped where I be," he says with surprisingly sincere tone while an arm is slipped under the table edge out of sight.

"I had made a deal to ensure my companion would not be left out in _that_ and for long as the other patrons here are kept none the wiser lest they start making too much noise we have been graciously allowed wait out the worst."

Straightening her back and with her hands balled into fists Zoe glowers at his sheer audacity to say such a thing choosing to abuse the fact her standing height is taller than his seated one for all it's might. It's funny, she thinks, if this truly is _him_ he doesn't look like very much what with the black hair brushed aside glistening from rain, a simple deep blue tunic patched particularly around the shoulders and elbows from long wear plus a few bracelets around his right wrist. Not any of the grandeur she'd been led to expect at all and an appearance far too young compared to what she had been led to believe.

"Sounds more like an elaborate ruse to me, are your manners really that scarce?" She hisses back, refusing to move away from the flickering warmth that is gradually returning the energy sapped by her attempts to find even a single door that would let a lone traveller in from the bad weather. He lets out a pleasant hum in return before placing a mark in the book to properly give all his attention.

"No no, for you see my words are as innocent as they can be! If you are at all willing to indulge and trust my intentions are as so I can even prove it right now and all it will require is the lady's hand, if I may? I will not judge one slight if you choose to decline." His own hand is offered like it is being presented to tempt her with some form of devil's deal and she is clearly not impressed even before a reaction is snapped back a little louder than intended causing a few curious glances to turn again their direction for the spice on display.

"Do you honestly believe that you are so charming that you could speak a few honeyed words and have me at your beck and call? Sir, I must inform you that you are _highly_ mistaken."

"Such a thought had never occurred to me; indeed I had neglected to suggest that even an ear would equally suffice in this case! Either way I am stranded as stated and you can have the freedom of anywhere within this establishment whether you are inclined to believe my own dilemma or not," he says making a vague gesture all around them before noticing the onlookers making his own eyes narrow a touch as though suddenly very mindful of making a scene even more tempting to watch. His voice turns all the more serious as a result.

"Though I must add if I may that while upon this occasion the encounter may or may not have been one of accident, my lady, I very much suspect that your asking around and after certainly was _not_."

The awful realisation starts to settle in that _oh,_ _this really **was** the wizard that she'd been trying so hard to track down and had just brazenly blew up in his face_ \- What a fantastic way to make a good first impression! Inwardly she curses brazen and loud while he appears content enough to turn his gaze instead towards his lap and murmuring a soft apology to who Zoe now strongly suspects might be the infamous cat she kept hearing so much of given the conspicuous absence otherwise, it would tie up.

Through stubbornness alone the hedge witch remains stoic by the strongest heat source for a while longer to properly arrange her belongings for optimal drying while deliberately keeping them away from his own of course, then takes the seat opposite as though an invitation to do so was still open to her. Having resumed reading after their conversation had been so ceremoniously cut short, he doesn't seem to react at all to her presence thus she decides to take matters into her own hands by leaning over the table enough to whisper her suspicions in hopes that it might yet be possible to break the rapidly hardening ice.

"Cat?"

"Mmn, could it be that a similar kind of curiosity has finally gained yours?" He asks in turn though perhaps a tad spitefully chooses not to look up from the pages. Her frown deepens even further.

"Enough for me to ask whether or not it is true, yes."

The smirk is a little on the playful side when he again chooses to address properly and very nearly scoffs at if not for being temporarily caught off guard by how his eyes are hazel in colour where the light does not turn somehow them into a subtler gold when they meet her own blue. Zoe glances away for the side of his face finding the genuine friendliness there unnerving.

"Indeed it is, I have tended to find that if people do not appreciate me they do him far more instead though sadly this is not an establishment that shares my sentiments on the matter. I _had_ been thinking about making an offer for you to meet if in a bit of an underhanded way because of, well this precise reason, though it will have to be withdrawn for now my lady.”

It's a blatant slight but she cannot bring herself to comment with ill-will given how badly she has already acted towards him it'd be stupid to dig the hole even deeper when a cautious olive branch has been offered in confirming at least that particular piece of information to be true. It's either naivety or a shallow willingness for second chances that allowed even that much to happen and far be it for her to deny the desire to find out which of those it might be so she sits back into the seat to reclaim that air that is deemed more respectable between two perfect strangers.

"It is quite the coincidence had you been wondering though it has _not_ been for the lack of trying I will confess. You are quite the trickster to track down if I had to give it a fair description, I could even half suspect you were a breeze given a human guise?"

" **Good**." The blunt tone catches her off guard and at first she thinks that he'll simply leave it at that yet after a long thoughtful pauses, he continues as though he had needed to deliberate over something first.

"Though if you have gone through all that effort I believe that the least I can do is offer you some form of recompense, so how about I gift you half of a name? Should you manage a second time to find wherever I may be at the time I will happily give you the rest then, this I will swear to you upon my honour."

"You choose to give me same treatment as one would fae?" She asks distinctly incredulous in tone.

"I would much rather be safe than sorry… There are so many different things you can do with a name both ill and kind and as we currently stand not even as acquaintances who would be frowned on by the expectations of current society for speaking to one another let alone any more than that well I am sure you can see the direction of my thoughts. At the very least this way you can call me something other than "that man" or whatever endearing terms I may have earned for myself during your hunt. Nothing strikes duller than a boring quarry that lays at your feet and perhaps," he pauses again with a grin you would expect from a particularly mischievous child.

"You _may_ even earn my forgiveness by then."

"Then you may call me Zoe." The temptation again to comment on his persistent charming almost teasing manner of speaking is incredibly difficult to ignore but she manages to hold strong, there might not be a third chance if she slipped too badly.

"Douxie, if you would please." A brow is quirked at that for it sounds so very out of place even in the current age that she almost wonders if he might have given a false one so she would only have something completely unusable to go off in the future? Unable to say something so directly however she takes a different approach to the problem.

"Would that happen to be short for something?"

"Ah ah, _that_ is a need to know thing! I am sure it's may be for the very same reason you have with your own as well, not the sort you find outside close friends after all and that idea seems a bit overstated presently, I am sure you can agree?"

Any answer that would have been forthcoming is swiftly interrupted by the return of the owner of the establishment smiling as broad as when they had first met setting down a well filled bowl with a wooden utensil beside. He leans in a little closer, mindful not to touch lest any offense be caused by the gesture whispering that _this is on the house do not worry your coin purse for such a simple act of generosity_. The wizard is given a guarded look as though to gauge if his intentions towards her were as harmless as they were appearing to be to receive a simple nod in return to show all was fine before he takes his leave to bark at a clearly drunken patron scarily close to losing their own drink to the floorboards. He is threatened with a solid brooming if they didn’t get their act together sharpish and a call for their tab to be paid before they can even start arguing. Zoe much like before is barely given a chance to speak in the small amount of time the entire interaction happened and thus she is left only to blink, slightly bewildered, at the steaming broth she had been given.

“Nice chap is he not? Though can _easily_ tell who the favourite is between the rowdy masses here,” he chuckles highly amused by her predicament clearly and it does ease at all when shot an annoyed glare for so ceremoniously pointing that fact out.

“I would enjoy your offering while you can fair lady lest you make the rest of us hungry with what you leave to waste.”

The break this time is one that is far more natural in occurrence, a gentle one met with the turning of pages while her food is taken to with greedy abandon and the rumble of a stomach all too grateful for it. This is the first thing she’s eaten that wasn’t chilled in her hands for what feels like _days_ and quite frankly sod manners when it comes to this if he’s not going to complain about the way she’s been acting before or now. The occasional glance upwards reveals only that his attention is strictly kept elsewhere be it out of politeness or otherwise, expression betraying nothing of what he might be thinking of and she notes one hand remains completely out of view as though it was being done deliberately to hide something _other_ than to comfort a mystery feline. The rim is tapped with the spoon gently to attract his notice and she asks a question that has been lightly bothering since the very moment he had first spoken up.

"If I may at all inquire myself, would you happen to know anything of Camelot? Your accent while weakened still sounds to have traces of the place."

Being asked must have caught him off guard from how his hand pauses mid turn, his gaze flickering upwards and is only given a quirked brow in return awaiting his answer expectantly. With a drawn-out sigh he leans back into his seat and motions to his reading material.

" _This_ is from there yes, a rare survivor of the ruins left behind one might say. Perhaps it entertains the nostalgia a voice cannot?" The wizard’s expression softens to something akin to reminiscing on unwelcome thoughts with eyes for the first time quite unwilling to meet her own.

"For myself, perhaps I too was indeed once upon a time but it is not the sort of talk I feel comfortable addressing at present. Do forgive the disappointment I may cause with such a vague answer."

Cagey again, she notes, but then it was a smart move when neither truly knows of the other intentions and everyone has heard the rumours of others being thrown under to protect themselves because the false era of trust was left to burn to ashes. The fact he had volunteered as much as he had been doing was a surprise even one deliberately doing so in a very roundabout way, was he _really_ leading such a solitary existence out there it as much as everything seemed to point to? It must be a very lonely life to lead with the constant moving around with little obvious rhyme or reason to the locations his sightings would happen… It is enough to settle on the idea that it will need to be looked into further. The sounds of delicate movement rouses her from her thoughts to discover that somehow he is now stood by the fireplace where he is replacing his mid-replacing garments and slinging a satchel that looked far more modern than the rest of him over shoulder in a manner where being ready to depart and presentable at a split second’s notice had been honed to a fine art through necessity. The speed is almost alarming. It is only then she manages to catch a glimpse of a thick bracelet engraved that screamed a magical tool before it is tucked away into a pocket around his left wrist and ah, it was no wonder he was constantly keeping that arm out of sight. That would be a dead giveaway to those who knows of the arts and not easily concealed without a longer sleeve.

“You plan on leaving such shelter in weather this foul?” She asks puzzled while the toes of his boots are given a solid tap to check their fit. Satisfied, he comes to collect the book from the table to add to the rest of his belongings after ensuring the mark is back in the proper place for later reading.

"Now giving the wily fox a scent to follow makes for an incredibly poor hunter in practice and the hospitality offered to me did not come with a room for this wanderer of the realm. For yourself however you will find your treatment will be beyond what you have already surmised, thus I can only wish you the most pleasant evening." A finger is held to his lips with a grin and a wink when a pair of amber eyes peer out between the buttons of his coat where neither rain nor customers could notice. How did they manage to sneak past her so easily? They disappear again into the darkness within a blink and it is ever so strange how not even a shape of their being remains evident.

"Until the next we meet then, my fair Lady Zoe, I have the distinct feeling this encounter will not be a isolated one."

When a shallow bow is given, no doubt due to his passenger to avoid harming them, in return she gives him a bowed head with hands held to the side for lack of space for a proper curtsey.

“Should you not manage to perish from sickness heading out into that, sir, then I very much agree with your thoughts on the matter of finding,” she muses placing the spoon back into the now empty bowl.

“A good evening and for your luck to continue as well.”

She would miss the almost sad smile that he wears while disappearing from her sight and back out into the wilds of the unknown, indeed it would not be until the first testings of friendship would begin that she would even know one could ever be there.

~~~

"Hey you okay? Been staring off into space for a bit now and don't think the book's _that_ bad surely even if that cover looks a bit on the damsel-y side to me."

His voice snaps Zoe back to the present again before she even notices a hand had been placed on her shoulder. Blinking once then twice in confusion she peers up to finds a pair of hazel filled with concern absently chewing the corner of his lip while clearly being unsure just how far to pry. With a dismissive wave she puts the open book over her leg to not lose her place not wanting to risk folding a corner while he was watching. For _somebod_ y who regularly crashes out on books while studying he gets very funny about how they’re treated.

"Mmm was just thinking that’s all and it’s not that terrible by the way, bit on the trashy side given you like to stock them but still perfectly readable… His knight is finally getting his ass in gear and coming for the rescue after like six chapters of thinking about it."

"If that’s the case guess the all important question theeen, what did I do _this_ time?" He is ceremoniously given a swat on the arm for his trouble for that one and an accompanying huff over crossed arms. The hand is dutifully withdrawn but he hasn’t picked up the iPad from where it’s now sitting in his lap.

"Not everything is about _you_ , doofus, it could have been work or even what to grab for takeout later for all you know!"

"Uh huh suuure, so what's with the whole wistful look you're rocking then? Bit too out the blue for it to be much else other than something pre this particular century."

 _Damnit_ , it was almost infuriating how perceptive he could be at times and with his curiosity already piqued well if she told him no he _would_ back off but in this case it seemed unfair to pretend it was anything other than what it was. With hands raised in defeat she makes him wait until she is comfortably pressed against his side again before answering, absently tapping away at one of the many bracelets adorning her wrist to fill the space with some form of noise.

"Alright fine you got me. Ugh it was about how if things had been different, even a bit, that we might never have become friends? Couldn’t have guessed it at all when we first met of course but if _that_ hadn’t have happened you might have just been this weirdo I kept hearing about on and off instead until we both happened to end up here in Arcadia full-time." He shifts a little when she pauses but does not interrupt, simply waiting for her to continue with his trademark patience that always seems to crop up when it comes to conversation but is remarkably absent when it comes to his more reckless tendencies of throwing himself into frays left and right.

"Not having whatever you want to call this? Doesn’t bear thinking about though _would_ have saved a ton on sending you ravens so often to check in you hadn't upped and died in a ditch somewhere in the middle of Chandigarh."

Douxie barks a laugh in response and even without looking she knows he probably has that mischievous look on his face.

"One, rude I'd have picked a more upmarket ditch with a proper floral arrangement and everything. Two -" It is probably pretty awkward to move given the fact she has one arm pinned down with no real intention of abandoning the warmth though through stubborn determination alone he manages to twist enough so that a gentle kiss can be pressed into her hair followed by his chin resting on the same spot with a softest hum of contentment. It’s sweet but she won’t tell him that.

"I'm really glad we did too even if I say it a lot, gave me two important people to help keep me on the straight and narrow if I ever got tempted by a stereotypical dark character arc when the world got a bit much with back to back awful. _Even_ if that includes the person who literally wasted a message to threaten me for taking the last bag of Skittles you grabbed during a Berlin stop in the 70s."

"I had to import those you div! Still owe me for that _and_ that pack of Rolos you swiped last week too." Even when she points a finger up at him without looking there is probably a wide grin that is utterly unrepentant and ironically much akin to a “cat” they are both so fond of.

"Aww don't worry come Christmas I'll grab you a selection box with all the best ones that Archie hates so you can hog them all to yourself, my dearest lady~"

Truly it is amazing how one chance encounter escaping from bad weather so long ago would give rise to the possibility of elbowing him in the side in payback for the shameless teasing in the modern day they had both managed to survive into. It was something that was entirely down to chance, one which would lead to more and more unintended meetings, later times where they would team up in pursuit of things or simply to hang out with someone you could dare call a friend without the fear of betrayal, to send messages across countries, to talk candidly in person and to live in a world so different to the one they were born into. One day she would confess there might be something a little more between them whilst sitting under the stars of an entirely different millennium while his arms were wrapped around her and through tears he would say he’d been waiting so long for her to say those words.

Now on a battered sofa in a scrungy old apartment during a winter’s evening they laugh together as old friends who long lost the ability to dream of a life without the other.

**Author's Note:**

> So all the way down here let me headcanon ramble a bit:
> 
> Given their very different personalities I'm of the view that theirs was not an instant friendship, much like the glacial slow burn it was a culmination that slowly developed into first distant acquaintances, then friends and finally as close as they would become. Through this and circumstances of Camelot's purges and later fall, Douxie would not own up to being Merlin's apprentice unless he knew the waters were safe enough to do so thus Zoe would get to know him as a person first and her bias towards the Master Wizard wouldn't immediately taint her view of him with the same brush. One of those things that unintentionally works out in his favour.  
> Douxie could also be mistaken for having an overly trusting nature but I take him as more somebody willing to give second chances (Where acceptable of course) because anyone can mess up a first impression innocently and you could miss out on a potential friend if you judge too harshly.  
> He's naturally a charming person and despite Zoe's apparent immunity he can't exactly switch it off, she might of thought he was trying to be obnoxious but he really wasn't! She'll find out he's not as confident as he appears as she gets to know him better I mean they got plenty of time.  
> She eventually did meet Archie properly! Familiar's stand out because of their rarity and a magic user would likely recognise a soul bond, he wasn't taking any chances.


End file.
